Employee Information

Workers' Compensation

Under the New York State Workers' Compensation Law, all employees of the College are covered by insurance that provides benefits for illness or injury incurred in the course of or arising directly out of their employment. The College pays the entire cost of this coverage.

To avoid possible loss of benefits, employees should report all job-related illnesses or injuries to their supervisor promptly, whether or not the situation involves the loss of work time or requires medical attention. The supervisor must complete the Supervisor's Accident Investigation Report and submit it to Human Resources (HR) within 24 hours. HR will review the report and discuss the incident with the supervisor and the employee regarding status, medical attention, lost time, etc.

If the incident involves lost time or medical care, a report will be filed with our Workers' Compensation carrier (see contact information in the box to the right) and a claim number will be assigned. The injured/ill worker who is eligible for workers' compensation will receive necessary medical care directly related to the original injury or illness and the recovery from his/her disability. For more information on medical benefits, visit the New York State Workers' Compensation webpage Medical Benefits. The claim process follows a specific time line for all parties (i.e., doctors, employer, employee, carrier, etc.). Details can be found on the New York State Workers' Compensation webpage Understanding the Claims Process.

Contact information for the College's Workers' Compensation carrier:

Compensation

If the injury/illness is determined to be work-related, and if disability continues for seven days, the worker is eligible for compensation starting on the eighth day. The worker may use sick or vacation time to cover the seven-day waiting period. If the documented absence extends beyond 14 days, compensation will be provided for the first seven days and the employee may be eligible to have the time used during the waiting period reinstated. The amount of compensation that a worker receives is based on his/her average weekly wage for the 52 weeks prior to the injury. Payments continue as long as the worker remains disabled, in the judgment of a licensed physician.

The following formula is used to calculate benefits: 2/3 x average weekly wage x % of disability = weekly benefit. For example, if the average weekly wage is $500 and the individual is 100% temporarily disabled, the weekly benefit would be: $500 x 2/3 x 100% = $333.33. If the individual is 20% temporarily disabled, the benefit would be $500 x 2/3 x 20% = $66.67.

Benefits for permanent disability are set in the Worker's Compensation statutes and are referred to as schedule loss. This is a special category of Permanent Partial Disability, and involves loss of eyesight or hearing, or loss of a part of the body or its use. If the work related accident or date of disablement occurred on or after March 13, 2007, benefits are payable for a maximum number of weeks as determined by the claimant's loss of wage-earning capacity. The claimant's physician must submit documentation to the Board regarding the permanent percentage loss of use based on examination at least one year following the date of injury.

Other Benefits

In addition to medical and compensation benefits, claimants are entitled to submit a request for mileage reimbursement on Form C-257 Claimant's Record of Medical and Travel Expenses for visits to medical providers (i.e., doctors, physical therapists, diagnostic tests, etc.). The claimant should submit the form directly to the worker's compensation carrier at the address listed below.

Return to Work

The worker should keep his/her supervisor advised of his/her status on a regular basis (at least every 2-4 weeks) and inform the supervisor when he/she has been released to return to work. The doctor must provide a written release that includes any restrictions on work activities. The restrictions, if any, will be reviewed with HR to determine if they can be accommodated prior to the worker's return to work.

Employee's Responsibility

Respond to requests from the College and the workers' comp carrier in a timely manner.

Keep supervisor advised of your status and ability to return to work. Have doctor provide release to return in advance, especially if there are work restrictions.

The College will continue your benefits as though you are an active employee for the first three months you are disabled. Benefit payments normally deducted from your pay must be paid directly to the College. Send a check or money order payable to Trustees of Hamilton College to Luann Zaleski on a weekly (or monthly) basis. If you are disabled beyond three months, the College will continue to hold your position open and continue your benefits if we have medical evidence that you can reasonably be expected to return to work before the end of six months. You will be responsible for the full cost of benefits. The College's contribution to the retirement plan will stop and your accruals for sick and vacation time will stop at three months. They will be resumed when you return to work.